Daily Digestible News-October 31, 2017

Here is your daily dose of Digestible News covering Ahsan Iqbal’s FB post, Qandeel Baloch’s murder case trial, Bilawal’s interview and more!  

Ahsan Iqbal states that hidden forces are pushing Pakistan towards democratic instability

Digestible News No. 1: On a facebook post, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal stated that, “Pakistan’s history has oscillated between decades of democracy and martial laws following a pattern.” He further stated that, “Some hidden hands and inertia of history are trying to drift the democratic process into same old design.” He also questioned whether the country would be able to break the cycle. Iqbal’s post comes as the top members of the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) meet in London to discuss the future of the party and the government’s stance on upcoming decisions.  

Qandeel Baloch’s father tells court that she was killed on the orders of Mufti Qavi

Digestible News No. 2: At a court hearing on Monday in Sultan regarding Qandeel Baloch’s murder her father, Muhammad Azeem stated that Baloch was killed on the orders of Mufti Qavi. Baloch’s parents, Azeem and Anwar Bibi were both present at the court hearing today. Mufti Qavi was also present, who is in police custody after his pre-arrest bail was declined. Justice Magistrate Pervaiz Khan presided over the court. Baloch was murdered last year, allegedly by her brother, Muhammad Azeem, who claimed he killed her for ‘honour’. Despite Azeem’s statement, Qavi maintained his innocence before the court and denied doing anything illegal.  

Man who threw acid on women sentenced to 14 years in prison by Quetta ATC

Daily Digestible News No. 3: The Quetta Anti-terrorism Court on Monday sentenced Vijay Pervez Masih to 14 years in prison after convicting him for throwing acid on two women in Quetta on May 2015. In 2015, near Basti Panchayat area on MeCongi Road in Quetta, Pervez sprayed acid on two women, Rimsha Masih and Hina Masih. On the complaint of the victims, he was arrested by the police and sent to district Jail Quetta from where he was later moved to the Central Jail. The ATC Judge Dawood Nasar also ordered Pervez to submit Rs1 Million in addition to imprisonment.  

Bilawal says PPP will not abide by a “technocratic or national government”

Digestible News No. 4: During an interview, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto told DawnNews that his party would not stand by a technocratic or national government. He also stated that given the current situation, this was highly unlikely. Bilawal stated that, “PPP has always been pro-people. Our founding principal is that people are the source of power.” He accused the ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif for taking steps during his term that, “Have harmed the essence of democracy.” Adding on the issue he said, “People are either with democracy or with corruption; being the grandson of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and son of Benazir Bhutto, I will be siding with democracy.”  

Concentration of CO2 in atmosphere hits record high: UN

Digestible News No. 5: The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), the principal gas that drives global warming, in the atmosphere has hit a new high, the United Nations said on Monday, warning that a drastic action is needed to achieve targets set by the Paris climate agreement.

“Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere surged at a record-breaking speed in 2016 to the highest level in 800,000 years,” the World Meteorological Organization said.

The read more, click here  

Senators debate ending punishment for those who attempt suicide

Senator Dr Karim Khawaja on Monday tabled the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2017 in Senate, demanding an end to punishment for attempted suicide. However, the Senate chairman shortly deferred the bill saying it could not be passed without the consent of the Council of Islamic Ideology.

The PPP senator said that those who attempt to commit suicide must be sent to rehabilitation centres so they can receive treatment, instead of being sent to prison. However, Law Minister Zahid Hamid declared the “issue” sensitive, saying that since suicide is forbidden in Islam the bill must be sent to the relevant committee for debate before Senate passes it. To read more, click here

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